Browsing by Subject "Lens"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Crim1–, a regulator of developmental organogenesis
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2016) Iyer, Swati; Pennisi, David J.; Piper, Michael
    The regulation of growth factor localization, availability and activity is critical during embryogenesis to ensure appropriate organogenesis. This process is regulated through the coordinated expression of growth factors and their cognate receptors, as well as via proteins that can bind, sequester or localize growth factors to distinct locations. One such protein is the transmembrane protein Crim1. This protein has been shown to be expressed broadly within the developing embryo, and to regulate organogenesis within the eye, kidney and placenta. Mechanistically, Crim1 has been revealed to mediate organogenesis via its interaction with growth factors including TGFβs, BMPs, VEGFs and PDFGs. More recently, Crim1 has been shown to influence cardiac development, providing further insights into the function of this protein. This review will provide an overview of the role of Crim1 in organogenesis, largely focusing on how this protein regulates growth factor signaling in the nascent heart. Moreover, we will address the challenges ahead relating to further elucidating how Crim1 functions during development.
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    Repair in avascular tissues, fibrosis in the transparent structures of the eye and thrombospondin 1
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1999) Hiscott, P.; Armstrong, D.; Batterbury, M.; Kaye, S.
    Wound repair is a process which is normally dependent on the vasculature of the damaged tissue. However, the transparent structures of the eye (e.g. central cornea, lens, vitreous) are avascular and yet are still subject to repair and fibrosis. Moreover, the resulting ophthalmic scars often remain avascular. Since this type of ocular scarring may result in blindness, it is the subject of intense research. An aspect of avascular ophthalmic fibrosis which has attracted attention is the question concerning early wound healing components that are usually derived from blood constituents. One such molecule is the glycoprotein thrombospondin 1. Thrombospondin 1 is thought to be a key regulator of cell behaviour in early wound repair and appears to be derived totally from platelet cc-granules during repair of incisional skin wounds. It has been shown that the ocular cells involved in avascular repair processes, and which are thus responsible for healing in the absence of platelet-derived thrombospondin 1, are capable of synthesizing the protein themselves. It is suggested that cells involved in ophthalmic repair processes produce thrombospondin 1 in the absence of the platelet-derived molecule. Local synthesis of thrombospondin 1 may represent a therapeutic target in the management of ophthalmic fibrosis.